Myers stays hot with 2-run homer as Padres beat Yankees 7-6
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- With his 19th home run, Wil Myers is playing so well that his manager expects him to be San Diego's representative in the All-Star Game at Petco Park on July 12.
And then there's 28-year-old rookie Ryan Schimpf, who hit his first big league home run Friday night, when the San Diego Padres avoided a total bullpen meltdown to hold off the New York Yankees 7-6.
"It felt good to get it out of there for sure," said Schimpf, who played 733 minor league games before getting his first big league call-up on June 14.
He homered to right-center leading off the second inning.
"It's kind of always been my game, I guess, ever since I was little," said Schimpf, who hit 15 homers in 51 games at Triple-A before being called up. "Kind of a big-swing guy trying to drive the ball every time. That's just kind of how I've always been, but obviously I don't want to be big swing, big miss. I want to go up there and put together a good at-bat and hit the ball hard."
Said manager Andy Green: "It was fun to see. ... There's a lot of positives to pull from it and he's going to continue to get opportunities."
Colin Rea (5-3) pitched six strong innings for the Padres, who snapped a three-game losing streak and handed the Yankees their fourth loss in six games. The righty held New York to two runs, one earned, and four hits while striking out five and walking one.
The Padres, who traded closer Fernando Rodney to Miami on Thursday, then gave up four runs in the ninth.
After Matt Thornton allowed pinch-hitter Alex Rodriguez's RBI single that pulled the Yankees to 7-3, Brandon Maurer came on with two on and none out in the ninth. He allowed Didi Gregorius' RBI double and Aaron Hicks' RBI groundout before his wild pitch brought in another run. Pinch-hitter Carlos Beltran doubled and advanced on Jacoby Ellsbury's groundout before Maurer got Brett Gardner to ground out to earn his first save.
Myers didn't slow down even though the calendar has turned to July. He had 11 homers, 33 RBIs and 21 extra-base hits in June.
Myers hit a two-run, opposite-field shot to right off Nathan Eovaldi in the fifth. Travis Jankowski was aboard on a leadoff single.
"I wasn't too worried about the calendar flipping," Green said. "I felt pretty good about where his swing was and what he feels like, takes his walk, steals a base, homers. It's what he's been doing for a while now, so he better be an All-Star."
New York's Brian McCann homered with one out in the sixth off Rea, his 13th.
The Padres jumped on Eovaldi for three runs in the first, on an RBI single by Melvin Upton Jr. and Derek Norris' two-run double.
Ellsbury hit an RBI single for the Yankees in the second.
Eovaldi (6-6) lost his fourth straight start, allowing six runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, struck out two and walked three.
`He's got good stuff but consistently he has to locate or he's going to get hit," manager Joe Girardi said. "He had two outs and he didn't make pitches."
Said Eovaldi: "I've got to do a better job of being able to locate my pitches in big situations."
THE SPLENDID SPLINTER
The Padres inducted San Diego native Ted Williams into their Hall of Fame, which opened earlier Friday. Williams, who attended Hoover High, played for the Padres of the Pacific Coast League in 1936 and 1937 before being sold to the Boston Red Sox. San Diego didn't get a major league franchise until 1969. Williams became good friends with Tony Gwynn in the 1990s.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: Beltran didn't start because of a tight right hamstring.
Padres: RHP Erik Johnson was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Wednesday, with a right elbow sprain. Manager Andy Green said Johnson had an MRI but the results weren't yet available.
UP NEXT
Yankees: RHP Ivan Nova (5-5, 5.32) is scheduled to start the middle game of the series Saturday night.
Padres: LHP Drew Pomeranz (7-7, 2.76) is scheduled to start for San Diego.
